Sedgwick's 'Midwinterblood' is a great YA read

Seven lives. Seven perspectives. Seven deaths. Two soulmates.

In new YA novel Midwinterblood, written by author Marcus Sedgwick (who has also written other novels dedicated toward younger audiences), kindred souls Eric and Merle are fated to be together for seven lives, and their fates are both tied up in a mysterious island called Blessed. Blessed is an island with a secret, and this secret allows the pair to attempt to connect- and reconnect- over years and experiences and rekindle their endless love.

Midwinterblood was a book- no, an experience- unlike any other I’ve read. Using various different perspectives, the novel follows the journey of the two protagonists through multiple generations, lives, and loves. Overall, there are seven different perspectives displaying seven different timelines; readers get to read about a Viking, an airman, a journalist, and everything in between.

The book could be somewhat confusing at times, though it contained some incredible prose and a very adeptly crafted storyline that made it worthwhile. Readers might have a hard time deciphering the various characters and plots, though- especially when Eric and Merle have the same names for the duration of the novel and throughout their many different lives and experiences.

I wouldn’t exactly let this daunting style of writing turn me away from the book, though; like I said, Midwinterblood was entirely worthwhile and I loved reading it. Sedgwick, though he attempted something new with his novel (and definitely something that would be difficult for a less-talented writer to pull off), managed this writing artfully and gracefully despite the many stopping points that might make the novel seem choppy or disjointed to some.

Overall, I would definitely recommend Midwinterblood, especially for people who are tired of typical YA novels with overdone structures and predictable protagonists. The book was an easy read, very fluid and simple as one might expect from the YA genre, but at the same time containing something new and exciting or a kind that doesn’t hit the shelves very often.